Harrogate Borough Council is drawing up a plan for what infrastructure, such as schools, roads and doctor’s surgeries, are needed in the west of Harrogate where as many as 4,000 new homes could be built by 2035.
Harlow Hill, Rossett, and Pannal Ash are already some of the most popular residential areas in Harrogate and the stretch of Otley Road from Cardale Park to Beckwithshaw is set to be transformed.
Some of the biggest allocated developments in the Local Plan yet to be built include 776 homes on Windmill Farm, 750 homes near Lady Lane, and 550 homes on Bluecoat Wood.
Developments in the Local Plan are highlighted. Credit: HAPARA
During the Local Plan process, residents raised concerns about the impact of the housing on schools, roads, sustainable transport and green spaces.
This led the government’s planning inspector to request HBC create a so-called ‘West Harrogate Parameters Plan” to assess transport and infrastructure needs.
A coalition of resident groups, including Harlow & Pannal Ash Residents Association (HAPARA) and Pannal & Burn Bridge Parish Council, produced a document of its own last year which lays out what it thinks needs to be done regarding infrastructure in the area.
What is the Parameters Plan?
It’s being coordinated by HBC working with North Yorkshire County Council, other infrastructure providers, and the site promoters to identify the infrastructure requirements for the area and how they will be delivered.
This includes new schools, local shops, sports facilities, green space and parks, roads and sustainable transport options. It will also identify how it will be delivered and who will pay for it.
HBC says the plan will allow a more joined-up approach to infrastructure rather than assessment on a site-by-site basis.
What is the current status of the plan?
Work started on the Parameters Plan last year. It has involved engagement with ward members, local parish councils and other local community groups, as well as promoters of other nearby sites.
This has included sharing and inviting comments on an early draft of the plan, as well as holding joint workshops and individual meetings. Further meetings are scheduled.
An independent design review has also been undertaken which the council hopes means that quality design is “at the heart” of the plan. Following this, the site promoters have jointly commissioned design expertise to carry out more detailed work, which is currently underway.
Read more:
- Controversial plans for 200 homes in Pannal Ash halted indefinitely
- Criticism over 560 homes plan for Otley Road in Harrogate
When will it be published?
HBC said there is no hard deadline for the creation of the Parameters Plan as its priority is “getting the content right.”
Further work is being carried out to incorporate the recommendations from the design review as well as ongoing work with infrastructure providers to finalise necessary requirements.
Residents’ groups had expected the plan to ready before the end of 2020. The council said it now expects the plan to finalised by the autumn. It will then be rubber-stamped by HBC’s cabinet member for planning Cllr Tim Myatt.
Once the Parameters Plan is agreed, how will it work in practice and how will it be implemented?
The plan will provide a framework that will guide the development of site masterplans which are submitted to the council when developers apply for planning permission.
It will also be a material consideration in the determination of relevant future planning applications, meaning councillors can use it to help them make a decision on a particular development.
The council will use legal agreements called section 106’s to secure funding for the infrastructure needed and to mitigate any impacts from the development.
Harrogate house displays eco-bunting with climate change messageA home in Harrogate has got creative to deliver a unique warning about climate change.
Whoever lives in the house has hung eco-bunting across a hedge for all to see on Oatlands Drive, opposite St Aidan’s Church of England High School.
It includes messages such as “if the climate were a bank it would already have been saved” and “you know it’s bad when introverts are doing this”.
Caroline Linford who runs the Sustainably Harrogate blog and website, noticed the bunting.
Ms Linford praised it and said “activism comes in all shapes and forms”.
She added:
“People want change. It’s bubbling away in Harrogate. How are we going to work together to push for the changes that are so desperately, urgently needed?”
Read more:
Oatlands Drive has been at the centre of the climate change debate recently because of transport proposals put forward by North Yorkshire County Council.
The county council had originally planned to make the whole of the street one-way to improve cycling infrastructure but the idea was abandoned following public opposition.
The council then suggested making nearby St Winifred’s Road and St Hilda’s Road one-way but this proved similarly unpopular.
It also proposed making Oatlands Drive 20mph and painting double yellow lines on both sides of the advisory cycle lane to stop motorists parking there.
Double yellow lines currently only exist on one side of the road, and many vehicles park in the cycle lane on the other side when using the Stray.
A petition against the proposals by Anna McIntee, who lives on Oatlands Drive, received over 1,700 signatures and the county council scrapped the proposals last month.
Our story yesterday about the Harrogate district being left to grow wild to improve biodiversity and attract bees, birds and insects provoked a huge amount of interest.
Harrogate Borough Council has left large swathes of green spaces untouched by mowers and strimmers.
Even the neat and orderly Stray has a different look to previous years.
It’s a thorny subject for the district, which prides itself on its well tended, floral appearance.
Almost 100 people commented on our Facebook page, and the vast majority gave the new approach the thumbs-up.
One person praised the wildflower “anarchy” on display.
“I love it! Wild flowers are never untidy – just a bit anarchic!!”
‘The wilder the better’
Another reader called Harrogate Borough Council “brave” for taking the new approach.
“The wilder the better for wildflowers, insects and other wildlife. Well done Harrogate Borough Council for taking such a brave approach and not bowing to the ‘tidy brigade’. Currently it’s only a tiny percentage of our green space but it’s a start!”
Read more:
- Harrogate’s ‘rewilding’: untidy or biodiversity boon?
- Wildflower planting starts on the Stray tomorrow
Someone on our Twitter page said other parts of Harrogate were also looking better:
“It’s great – not just on The Stray but also in other places like along Wetherby Road near Woodlands. Looks great with the buttercups in flower.”
However, there were some dissenting voices. Several people accused the council of not cutting the grass to save money.
Another accused it of “hypocrisy” due to the scale of housebuilding in the district.
The Stray Ferret reported last year that green spaces the size of over 700 football pitches will be lost to housing.
“The crocuses and planted up flower beds also attract many bees and many insects but oh wait, the council are selling the horticulture nurseries on Harlow for yet more housing.
“Total double standards but they they’ll cut maintenance costs and make money from developers.”
How wild is your neighbourhood? Send us pics and give us your views. Email us at contact@thestrayferret.co.uk
Harrogate Town coach launches football boots appeal for kids in needHarrogate Town’s under-19 coach Paul Barker is asking young people and their families in the district to donate sports equipment to disadvantaged youngsters.
He’s collecting football boots, balls, and other sporting gear which will be sent to a new charity called Action For Sport, which was set up to improve sporting participation for young people living in poverty. Donations will mainly help people in Bradford but also in other parts of the UK.
Mr Barker has worked in sport all his life and said its impact can be profound on young people. However, poverty can be a barrier to entry, with some parents unable to afford the essentials.
He said:
“Without sport some youngsters could go down a different path, sport can change that.”
“The charity is about giving them access to play sport in cities and getting them off the street.
Mr Barker said he has a friend whose son plays for Leeds United’s youth team. He receives three new pairs of goalkeeper gloves each month, which he was going to send to the tip but instead donated them to the charity.
He said even a small donation could make a big difference:
“An old ball, boots or trainers and you’re off”.
To donate, email Mr Barker at pbjfc@live.com or contact him through his Twitter page. He said you can arrange a time to drop the equipment off at his house.
Read more:
- English Football League approves Harrogate Town’s bid to create academy
- Former Harrogate Town footballer launches counselling service for young athletes
It’s not the first time Mr Barker has launched a drive for football equipment for those in need.
Two years ago he collected over 400 pairs of football boots, which were donated to the Namutumba orphanage in Uganda.
The people of Harrogate rallied behind the appeal, which was a huge success and created some new Town fans in a different continent.
He added:
Harrogate’s ‘rewilding’: untidy or biodiversity boon?“There are young people wandering around Uganda now wearing Harrogate Town shirts!”
Harrogate district residents may have noticed the town is looking different this year — as swathes of green spaces, including on the Stray, have been left alone by mowers and strimmers so nature can grow free.
‘Rewilding’ is one of the words of the moment, with councils across the country hoping to improve biodiversity and attract bees, birds and insects.
The new look in Harrogate has been welcomed by many, who see it as a sign that Harrogate Borough Council, which manages our parks and green spaces, is serious about improving biodiversity.
But others who cherish Harrogate’s long reputation for organised and elegant planting, believe it makes the town look untidy.
In the eye of the beholder
Shan Oakes from the Harrogate & District Green Party told the Stray Ferret that prim and proper Victorian-style floral displays can look old-fashioned.
In recent history, wildflower meadows have slipped into a dramatic decline as the species-rich grasslands are ploughed up for housing, farming and roads.
She said wildflowers will encourage pollinating bees as well as insects which can good food for birds.
“It’s excellent the council is thinking seriously about this from nature’s point of view.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It doesn’t have to be a mess.”
“One or two people might think it looks untidy and not respectful. But isn’t it more respectful to be kinder to nature?
“If bees go, we all go.”
‘Very unattractive’
Alison Freeman lives near the Stray but said rewilding makes the town look “untidy and unsightly”
She said she fears broken glass and bottles lurking in the undergrowth which she believes poses a safety risk.
“It’s very unattractive and it has the potential to be dangerous. Beer bottles could get dumped in the long grass.I t’s unusable and I can’t walk on it.
She criticised Harrogate Borough Council’s approach to grass cutting this year.
“Don’t they care about the town? They are driving Harrogate down.
“The whole verge by the West Park Stray looks like the council hasn’t bothered to look after it.
“Bees are important, we are not anti-bee. But I haven’t seen any bees on the buttercups by the Stray”.
Read more:
- Wildflower planting starts on the Stray tomorrow
- Watch: Volunteers plant wild flowers on Harrogate’s Stray
Judy D’Arcy Thompson from the Stray Defence Association took a more balanced approach to the issue.
She called rewilding “a very emotive subject with passions running high both for and against the wilding”.
She added:
“Our Stray is arguably Harrogate’s most important environmental asset and of tremendous benefit to the whole area. Throughout the past difficult months during the pandemic it has been an amazing green sanctuary for everyone to use.
“It is essential to strike a balance between the need for safeguarding and enhancing its ecological role alongside its open and free use by people.”
Great news for wildlife
As well as letting some areas grow free, Harrogate Borough Council recently planted 5,500 wildflower plugs on two areas of the Stray near Leeds Road and York Place. They were helped volunteers from Bilton Conservation Group.
A council spokesman said the new biodiversity areas will provide habitats and green corridors for some of the 1,500 species of insect pollinators across the district.
He added:
100 water voles released in Washburn Valley this week“Residents and visitors may have started to notice that some areas of the Harrogate district are being left to grow and not mown.
“This is great news for wildlife as the longer grass and wildflowers will provide food and homes for pollinating insects, as well as supporting our aim of reducing our carbon footprint.
“As well as leaving specific areas to grow and encourage biodiversity, we have also planted – with the help of volunteers – more than 5,000 wildflower plugs on specific areas of the Stray in Harrogate.
“We’ll be keeping an eye on how things progress and will be providing regular updates on social media channels.”
Yorkshire Water is to release a further 100 water voles at Timble Ings woods in the Washburn Valley this week.
Water voles are one of the fastest declining mammals in Britain, losing 97% of their former geographical range, and have been identified as a key species for conservation in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Surveys of the area suggest the 100 water voles released in September 2020 have become established in the woodland, with feeding signs, faeces and burrows all present.
These have been spotted up to 500m from the original release site, indicating the water voles are settling into their new habitat.
Read more:
The project forms part of Yorkshire Water’s Water Works for Wildlife initiative, which will see £1.6m invested in 15 sites across Yorkshire in a bid to boost biodiversity, enhance habitats, benefit wildlife and engage local communities.
Lee Pitcher, head of partnerships at Yorkshire Water, said:
Vineyard mural celebrates Aldborough’s rich Roman history“We’re pleased to see evidence the water voles we released in September have settled into their habitat, with piles of nibbled grass and stems, as well as droppings spotted recently. Now they are established, we’re now moving onto the next stage – a second release in the area to further boost the population.
“We also have plans in place to extend the habitat available for the water voles later this year, with new ponds set to be created, which will allow the population to continue to expand and take advantage of the perfect habitat Timble Ings Woods provides these creatures.”
The owner of a vineyard near Aldborough has commissioned an 18-square metre mural that recreates how the village looked 1,800 years ago in Roman times.
Aldborough, which is near Boroughbridge, was the administrative centre of the Roman empire in northern Britain, with a population of 3,000, which was similar to York at the time.
Archaeologists found a tablet in the Roman fort of Vindolanda at Hadrian’s Wall, which referred to wine in production at Aldborough.
It inspired Ian Townsend, the owner of Dunesforde Vineyard, to commission what he believes to be the first-ever painting of what Roman Aldborough is thought to have looked like.
Dunesforde Vineyard, which was created in 2016, produces 3,500 bottles of white, rose and sparkling wines a year.
Read more:
- Festival director welcomes sold-out shows as Northern Aldborough returns
- Aldborough and Boroughbridge Show cancelled for second year
Working in acrylics, Leyburn artist Lynn Ward took six months to complete the work, which spreads across six boards.
It features almost 1,400 people, 86 horses, 18 dogs, a tiger fighting a gladiator in the amphitheatre and a vineyard.
Mr Townsend hopes the artwork will attract visitors to the vineyard all-year round.
“Everyone involved has worked hard to ensure that this portrayal is as accurate as possible.
“Attracting visitors to your vineyard is relatively easy during the summer. But tempting people at other times of the year can be more of a challenge. We hope this wonderful work of art, along with our other wine-related artefacts, will help attract people all year round.
“Aldborough, or Isurium Brigantum, to give it its Latin name, was an incredible place. It had an amphitheatre, a forum, heated baths, a temple and we have reason to believe there was a vineyard there too.”
According to Mr Townsend, Roman wine was very different to what is produced today.
He added:
“They added a lot of honey so the wine was sweet, and some would water it down. Drinking wine instead of untreated water meant there was less chance of becoming ill. Modern technology would suggest that today’s wines would be superior in quality.”
Plans have been submitted for a 48-bike rack at Harrogate District Hospital.
Harrogate And District NHS Foundation Trust has submitted proposals to Harrogate Borough Council to build the new secure cycling storage.
It would be built to the right of the main entrance to the hospital next to the disabled car parking bays.
The rack would give staff and visitors a safe place to park their bikes following a spate of thefts at the hospital last year.
Read more:
- No covid patients at Harrogate hospital for the first time since August
- People urged to ‘think carefully’ before attending Harrogate hospital emergency department
Last summer, the Stray Ferret reported that there had been seven bicycle thefts at the hospital in three months, which North Yorkshire Police called “clearly outrageous”.
Some of the thefts affected key workers who found their bikes missing after long shifts.
The force offered hospital staff and local residents the option to have their bikes security marked in an effort to discourage the crime.
Historic link between Canada and Harrogate celebratedYou might not heard of him before, but today is Sir Robert Barrie Day. Sir Robert was a Royal Navy officer who fought against the USA in the 19th century and is buried in the Harrogate district.
The day marks the 180th anniversary of his death as well as the eight year anniversary of Harrogate and Barrie in Canada becoming twin towns.
Sir Robert saw service in the War of 1812 which was a conflict fought between the United States and Great Britain over British violations of U.S. maritime rights.
He then took up a post in Ontario, Canada to inspect a key trading route called the Nine Mile Portage. He settled there, calling it “one of the most beautiful places on earth”. In 1833 the area was renamed in his honour.
As of the 2016 census, Barrie’s population was 141,434.
Twinned
Barrie was twinned with Harrogate in 2013 at the suggestion of local aristocrat Sir Thomas Ingilby.
Sir Robert married Sir Thomas’s ancestor, Julia Wharton Ingilby, in1816.
In mid-1834, Barrie returned to England and King William IV made him a knight commander of the Royal Guelphic Order. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1837 and knight commander of the Order of the Bath in 1840.
Barrie retired in Swarthdale, Lancashire and was buried at All Saints Church in Ripley in 1841.
Read More:
- Malcolm Neesam History: the heyday of Harrogate’s cinemas
- Authors celebrate Valley Gardens’ journey from springs to scenic spot
Barrie deputy mayor, Barry Ward, who was a guest for Harrogate’s UCI cycling event in 2019 said:
“Sir Robert Barrie had quite an interesting life, both as a military commander and administrator in what later became Canada.”
Harrogate is also twinned with two with Bagnères de Luchon in France and Montecatini Terme in Italy. Read more about Harrogate’s twin towns here.
Interested in history? Did you know that the Stray Ferret has teamed up with Malcolm to produce audio walking tours of Harrogate? The walks are sponsored by the Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) and take you back to the Golden Age of the Harrogate Spa and a walk through the Commercial Heart of Harrogate.
Why not take a walk back in time and learn about Harrogate’s glorious past.. They’re easy to do and a great day out. For more information click here.
Harrogate resident scoops £30,000 on lotteryA lucky Harrogate resident is celebrating winning a £30,000 cash prize on the People’s Postcode Lottery at the weekend.
Every Saturday and Sunday throughout the June draws, one postcode will be announced as a £30,000 prize winner.
All the players in the postcode will win that sum for every ticket they hold.
The winning postcode of HG2 8QA was announced on Saturday.
A media release by People’s Postcode Lottery revealed one person in the Harrogate postcode area won last weekend.
People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador, the TV presenter Judie McCourt, sent her well-wishes to the winner, who asked to remain anonymous.
She said:
“What a fantastic surprise for our winner in Harrogate! I hope they enjoy celebrating this weekend and enjoy spending the cash. Congratulations!”
Read more:
- Harrogate house prices soar in just one year
- District’s residents asked for views on emissions targets
The draw costs £10 a month to enter. People play with their chosen postcode and are automatically entered into all draws.
A minimum of 33% of ticket sales goes directly to charities.
Players have helped raise over £700 million to date for thousands of good causes across Britain and internationally.